* The song Aria and
Aten sing is called “You’re Always With me” called ‘Batwanes Beek’ in
Arabic. I don’t own it. I can’t even pronounce some of those words. I got the song from:
http://www.shira.net/batwanes.htm
Shadow of Light:
Aria and Aten’s bond is explained in this chappie. Since they are two halves of
the same soul, they do share a special connection.
Kschur32: I haven’t
decided what I’m going to do with Diane yet. Though after this chappie, I may
just have to kill her off.
Liann: When Aria
leaves, she’s going to bring the puppy with her and that will be her pet. I’m glad you like Servant Yamis. Gotta love
Tea bashing.
Terra: My wife can
give me naked snarling Bakuras! NOT THE
POUT! MY WEAKNESS!
Dragon Tears: It’s
the Yami Virus affecting Bakura’s personality.
Lady Elfskye: I
wasn’t in downtown Philly. I was in northeast philly. My wife was sick, so we
didn’t get a chance to go anywhere.
Besides, my dad was driving my sister all over the place, so he had the
car.
Valea: Aria and Aten
are two halves of the same soul, so they would share a specific bond. But it
would only happen suring intense emotion.
She won’t die.
Broken Time: Aria
and Aten share a bond being two halves of the same soul.
thunderchaos:
Thanks! Bakura goes second. Someone else goes first.
bakachibi voidfox:
lemon next chappie between Ryou x Bakura.
The Virus is affecting Bakura’s personality.
Brother and Sister,
Hikari and Yami
Seto looked out of
the library window. He looked at the
water in the distance. He needed the
serenity of the nearby ocean to calm him.
The rich, powerful
CEO of KaibaCorp felt poor and in need.
He didn’t need more
money, more employees, more financial reports to review.
He needed Aria.
He needed Aria to be
safe.
He needed Aria
returned.
Seto leaned on the
Louis XIV chair by the window and gripped it for support.
He was empty.
Seto didn’t turn
when he heard a knock on the door to the library. “Enter.”
Donny stepped
through the door. “Sir?”
Seto turned his head
slightly, giving his personal driver and friend the Evil Eye for the first time
in seven years. “Well?”
“We are still
looking, Mr. Kaiba. We haven’t found any trace of her yet.”
Seto turned away from
Donny. “Then leave and keep looking!”
“Yes, sir, Mr.
Kaiba.”
Seto looked over the
city as he let out a long sigh. “Where are you, baby girl?”
Hayden entered the
room. He stood beside his adoptive
father. “Hello, Mr. Kaiba. Any news
about Aria yet? I heard at school that
something happened to her and she can’t be found.”
“Who told you that?”
“Umi Tsunami. He’s Aria’s boyfriend.”
Seto shook his head.
“No. No news yet.”
“Oh. I really hope
they can find her. I know how it feels
to want someone back and wait and wait and wait and wait. After my parents and
my sister died in the fire, I waited at my uncle’s house for months hoping to
see them. They never came to see me. I
was hoping that they were alive and were okay.
But, my uncle told me they were dead. It didn’t hit me until before the
police came to take me away that my parents and my sister would never come.
That they really were dead like my uncle had told me.”
Seto’s bottom lip
trembled. ‘Aria can’t be dead! I won’t
accept that!’
Hayden timidly
reached up and put his hand on Seto’s shoulder. “Aria will be okay.”
Hayden left and Seto
collapsed sobbing into the Louis XIV chair.
“Aria, don’t be
dead! Please!”
The door opened
again and Joey walked into the room.
“Seto?” Joey ran to Seto and kneeled beside him.
“Seto, tell me what is wrong!”
Seto wiped his eyes
and stood on his feet. He sniffled and straightened his suit jacket. “Nothing
is wrong. I had something in my eye.”
Joey stood up and
crossed his arms against his chest.
“You’re a shitty liar. Tell me
what is wrong, Seto. I know something is wrong.”
Seto folded his
hands behind his back and turned from Joey to hide the tears. “Nothing.”
Joey grabbed Seto’s
shoulders and turned him to the side. “You can’t hide your feelings from
me! Something happened and ever since
yesterday, you have barricaded yourself in your office and the library. You didn’t sleep at all last night. Please tell me, Seto.”
Seto rubbed his eye
before a tear could escape. “Aria is
missing.”
“What?! Missing?!”
Seto nodded. “Robbie
was kidnapped, too. He was found nailed
into a crate. No sign of Aria.”
Joey wrapped his
arms around Seto and rested his head on Seto’s shoulder.
“I have the entire
Public Relations Department looking for her.
I can’t lose her, Joey. Something
inside me tells me that if I lose her, I….I will be lost.”
Joey’s brown eyes
looked up at Seto. “I know you will be upset, Seto. So will I and everyone
else. But, you’ll still have Mokuba and I to hold you up.”
Seto sighed. “I
know, puppy.” The CEO put his arms around his lover. “We’ll always have each
other. I wouldn’t have it any other
way.”
Joey nuzzled his
cheek into Seto’s shoulder. “Any news about Aten?”
“The hospital is
keeping him for another night. Aten had a seizure and they don’t want his body
to reject the pacemaker.”
“A seizure? Aten doesn’t have epilepsy.”
Seto held tightly
onto Joey. “I know, but they don’t know the origin of the seizure, so they are
keeping him overnight.”
Joey clutched onto
Seto. “Can we go see him?”
Seto pet the golden
hair beneath his chin. Joey was having a very difficult time coming to terms
with Aten’s terminal condition. The
blond had admitted to Seto that he was fighting the urge to drown himself in
the bottle again. Joey had also talked
to Dr. Chapman, his psychologist, about the desire to buy a bottle of Jack
Daniels and lock himself in his art studio. Joey begged and pleaded with Seto
to allow him to spend more time with the sick chibi. The blond was still
struggling with his alcoholism, even after years of therapy. Seto knew this wouldn’t be an easy obstacle
for Joey to overcome and still Seto refused to give up on his lover.
Seto couldn’t deny
his lover the right to see Aten, especially if the child was in the hospital.
“I’ll get Jayden to
drive us. Donny is searching for Aria right now.”
A smile lit up
Joey’s face. “Thank you, Seto!”
“Let’s take Hayden
with us. It might make Aten feel better
if we all go see him. I’ll see if I can find Mokuba.”
Joey kissed Seto on
the lips and ran from the room. Seto searched for Mokuba and found him in the
study leaning over a blueprint. Mokuba
abandoned his blueprint to go with the family.
***********************
Hayden sat in the
back of the limo with a bag of nacho chips.
He chewed loudly as he looked out of the tinted windows. Joey looked
down and saw Hayden was quickly gaining weight.
Hayden had a little belly on him now.
It didn’t surprise
him at all. Hayden was becoming a virtual bottomless pit. Everytime he saw Hayden, he had cookies or
chips in his mouth.
“Hayden? Did you eat enough at lunch?”
Mokuba crossed his
arms. “I would hope so! He ate three hamburgers and half of my fries when we
went out to Captain Smiley Buns! And he
was still hungry, so he borrowed money off of me to buy an apple pie!”
Hayden shrugged. “I
was hungry.”
Joey and Seto looked
at each other. “Well, son, you should leave your snacks in the limo when we get
to the hospital.”
“Why? I can bring in food.”
Seto crossed his
legs. “Yes, but, we’re…we’re just concerned about your weight, Hayden.”
“What about my
weight?”
“You’ve been eating
constantly lately and we just want to make sure that you’re taking care of
yourself.”
Hayden nodded. “I am
taking care of myself. I shower, eat, go to school, come home, and have a few
snacks while I’m doing my homework.”
“A few snacks?”
Mokuba asked. “You ate all the Oreos!”
“You ate all the
popcorn!”
“You ate all the
onion dip!”
Seto turned to Joey,
shaking his head. “Can’t we just lock them both in their rooms until they are
eighteen?”
Mokuba pouted. “I’m
going to be eighteen in two months!”
Hayden grabbed his
bag of snacks. “These are mine and you can’t have any!”
Joey turned to Seto.
“Were we ever this bad?”
Seto rubbed his
temple. “Calm blue ocean…calm blue ocean…..calm blue ocean….calm blue ocean.”
Joey held out his
hand. “STOP!” Hayden and Mokuba stopped arguing. It was rare that Joey raised his voice. Mokuba couldn’t remember the last time when
Joey cried out like that. “Hayden, we’re just concerned about you, that is
all. We still love you. It’s just that
we noticed you eating more than usual and we just had to say something.”
“It wasn’t meant to
hurt your feelings,” Seto added. “Look,
we’re going to see Aten and the last thing he needs is to see us at each
other’s throats.”
Hayden and Mokuba
lowered their heads. Mokuba looked at Hayden. “Sorry, Hayden.”
“Sorry, Mokuba.”
********************
They arrived at the
hospital and found Tristan and Otogi walking to their car holding hands. Seto’s
eyes widened at the absence of Tristan’s industrialized thermos full of coffee.
“Hey, guys!” Joey
smiled, running to them. Joey wrapped his arms around Tristan and Otogi. “You
guys just came back from Aten’s room?”
Otogi nodded as
Hayden and Mokuba caught up with them.
“Yeah. He’s in Room 215. They always put him in that room.”
Tristan shifted his
eyes side to side as Seto looked at him. “What?”
“You don’t have your
thermos with you. You look so…naked
without it.”
“Bite me.”
Seto smirked. “No
thank you. I’ll leave that up to Otogi. Besides, I know you prefer a feminine
touch.”
Otogi brushed back
his hair and stamped his foot. “Why does
everyone insist that I am feminine?!”
Tristan turned to
Seto. “Don’t mind him. He’s pre-menstrual.”
Otogi crossed his
arms and pouted. “I am not!”
Seto found Tristan’s
hands slightly trembling. “You okay, Tris?”
“Haven’t had a
coffee in one hour. I promised Otogi I
would cut down.”
Tristan’s eyes were
wide as his eyes shifted to his motorcycle. “Umm…excuse me, please.” Tristan ran to the motorcycle and grabbed his
thermos, hugging it and kissing it.
”Precious….my
precious….”
Seto rolled his eyes
and shook his head. “Why me?”
Otogi sighed. “He’s
gotten better, Seto. Before he couldn’t go thirty minutes. Now he’s at an hour. That’s progress.”
“Can’t argue with
that. We better go. Bye, Otogi! Bye,
Tristan!”
“BYE!”
Joey lead the family
to Aten’s room. Aten was on his side, sleeping in his bed. Aten was sucking his thumb and cuddling his
monkey plushie.
Seto shook his head
as he pulled up a chair beside Aten’s bed. “He still sucks his thumb in his
sleep. Some things never change.”
Hayden looked down
at the eight year old boy with the bandaged shoulder and chest. “He always
sleeps like that.”
Mokuba walked around
to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers over Aten’s chest. Joey
lifted the wires connected to the child.
Aten snuggled into his monkey plushie and sighed.
Joey checked the
boy’s medicine bag and saw that it was running low. He went outside to find a nurse.
Ryou walked into the
room alone. “Oh! Hello, Seto! Hi, Hayden! Hi, Mokuba!”
Seto brought Ryou
into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Hi, Ryou. Where is everyone else?”
Ryou sighed. “Marik
and Malik are looking for Aria.”
“What about Bakura?”
Ryou buried his face
in Seto’s chest and whimpered. “He….He’s home.”
Seto tilted Ryou’s
face up to look into the chocolate brown eyes. “Ryou? Is Bakura really home?”
“Yes.”
Seto looked into the
eyes and saw something familiar. These
were eyes that could not hide what he was feeling. Seto saw the same hurt that
he saw in Ryou’s eyes ten years ago when Bakura abused him.
“Ryou, tell me what
he did to you.”
Mokuba and Hayden
looked over at Ryou. Seto shifted his
gaze between the boys and the door. When
Hayden and Mokuba left, Seto looked down at Ryou. The CEO leaned down and
planted a kiss on Ryou’s cheek.
“Tell me what he
did, angel.”
Ryou wiped away a
tear. “He….He tried to seduce me and I wasn’t in the mood.”
Seto bit his lip.
“Did he hit you when you refused?”
“No.”
“Did he pin you like
he used to?”
Ryou avoided Seto’s
gaze. “Yes.”
Seto ran his fingers
through the white locks. “My poor
angel.”
“This illness he has
is becoming worse. I don’t know what to
do for him. I don’t know what I can do for my son. I don’t know where my
daughter is. I don’t know anything!”
Ryou cried into his hands.
Seto brought Ryou to
his chest and held him close, letting Ryou cry out his tension. Seto was always there to support and protect
Ryou during the most difficult times of his life.
The CEO held his
friend. “My men are looking for Aria, Ryou.
We’ll find her. We have the best
doctors looking after Aten’s health, Ryou.” Seto held Ryou at arm’s length.
“You know that you have our support, right?”
“I know,” Ryou said
sadly.
“I told you before
that I will always be there for you. I will always be there for Aten and Aria,
too.”
Ryou hugged Seto.
“Thank you, Seto.”
A whimper came from
the bed as Aten’s eyes shot open wide. The little boy began to tremble and
shake. Tears spilled out of his eyes. Ryou and Seto ran to the bed as the boy
started cry.
“Aten? Baby boy?”
“I want my puppy.”
Ryou and Seto
exchanged glances. “Aten?”
“I want my puppy.
I’m alone.”
“Sweetheart, it’s
mommy and Unkie Seto.”
“They took my puppy.
Why can’t they let me have her with me?”
Seto and Ryou
gasped. “Aten said ‘took.’”
Ryou kneeled in
front of Aten. The little boy’s eyes were glassy and unfocused. Ryou waved his
hand in front of Aten and Aten didn’t respond.
Seto watched as
Aten’s hair gave a slight twitch…like Aria’s hair.
“Ryou, his hair is
twitching!”
Joey returned with a
nurse to replace his morphine bag.
Ryou stood up and
jumped back. “It’s..It’s…you!”
The nurse looked at
Ryou. “Ryou? Ryou Bakura? I haven’t seen
you in years! Remember me? Beatrice? Beatrice Cinetti?”
Ryou backed away to
the wall. “Oh gods…”
Joey stood beside
Ryou. “Ryou, what’s wrong?”
Ryou’s face went
pale. “Cinetti….”
Beatrice went to
Aten’s medicine bag and reattached the new bag.
“I haven’t seen you for a while, Ryou!
This is your son, I hear.”
Ryou nodded. “Yes. His name is Aten.”
“’Aten.’ What a
pretty name! I’ve never seen anyone look
like him before! He’s so cute!”
Aten trembled from
the bed. “I want my puppy. All alone. No
one. Mommy’s not here. Daddy’s not here. My brother’s not here. I want my
brother here.”
Ryou and Joey
approached the bed. “Aten, do you know where you are?”
“They came and took
my puppy away. Why? Why did they take my
puppy away?”
Joey and Ryou stood
astonished. “Aten said ‘came’ and ‘took’!”
Beatrice moved to
the other side of the bed and looked at Aten. “Aten? Aten Ishtar?”
“Where is my puppy?
I want my puppy.”
Seto elbowed Joey.
“Go sit by Aten and let him touch you. Let him know you are here.”
Beatrice moved over
and Joey sat beside the bed. He leaned in and Aten grabbed a handful of Joey’s
blond hair.
“Aten?”
“Aten isn’t
here. Where is he? Where is my daddy? I’m alone. I’m scared.”
Beatrice left the
room in a hurry. Ryou leaned over Aten and rubbed Aten’s back.
“Aten, baby, wake
up.”
Aten’s body
continued to shake. “Can’t stop crying. I want my brother.”
Beatrice returned
with another doctor. Hayden and Mokuba entered the room. The doctor stepped beside Joey.
“Could you move
aside so I can examine the patient?”
Joey went to move
and Aten started crying. “I can’t move. He wants me to stay here.”
The doctor examined
Aten’s medical chart closely. “Aten Bakari Ishtar. Heart Failure. Allergies…whatever…it doesn’t
matter.” Dr. Davis looked at the child’s
chart and his eyes widened. This was the
little girl’s brother! Diane wanted to
get her hands on the boy and here he was!
The doctor returned
to Joey. “Please step back so I can examine the patient.”
Joey moved aside
just enough so Aten could still stroke his hair.
The doctor turned
Aten’s head to the side and looked into the child’s eyes.
“Where is my
brother? I want my puppy. Someone bring me my puppy.”
He turned to Ryou
and Seto. “Who is the parent?”
Ryou timidly raised
his hand. “I’m his mother.”
“When was he
diagnosed with heart failure?”
“Last week,” Ryou
said wiping his eyes.
“He just had a
pacemaker implanted, correct?”
Ryou nodded.
“Has he always
talked like this? He seems confused.”
Seto shook his head
and put his arm around Ryou. “No, he just started talking like this.”
The doctor nodded.
“Does he sleep a lot?”
“He just had
surgery,” Seto said narrowing his eyes. “I would think he’s sleeping much. That
morphine would keep him asleep.”
The doctor turned
and waved his hand in front of Aten’s eyes. Aten’s eyes still were not focused.
“Aten Ishtar?”
“Nice puppy….I got
my puppy back….” Tears pooled in Aten’s eyes. “Puppy? Puppy? What did they do to my puppy?”
Aten’s fist grabbed
onto Joey’s hair as the doctor looked down at Joey.
“Sir, you have to
move so I can get to the patient.”
“If I move, Aten is
going to become scared.”
The doctor pushed
the chair out of the way. “Sir, I cannot do my job if you are in my way.”
Joey stood up and
Aten gripped the bed sheets. He started pulling at the linens nervously.
“What did they do to
my puppy?”
The doctor put his
hand to Aten’s neck and felt the pulse. He stood up and turned to the two men
holding onto each other.
“What is wrong with
my little boy?”
The doctor shrugged.
“Your son is dying.”
Ryou gripped his
chest as Seto had to grab Ryou before he could fall to the ground. Hayden and
Mokuba gasped, stepping back from shock.
Joey covered his
mouth, his eyes filling with tears.
“Aten is..dying?”
“He’s confused,
doesn’t know where he is, he’s obviously on his last leg.”
Seto narrowed his
eyes at the doctor. “Where is Doctor
Zira?”
“Zira had an
emergency at his practice and I’m filling in for him.”
“And you think that
Aten is dying?”
The doctor shrugged.
“His body is probably rejecting the pacemaker and he’s dying from it. You know how the dying are. It’s normal for
people who are dying to become confused and disorientated.”
Ryou ran to Aten,
brushing Aten’s white and blond hair. He sobbed deeply. “Please, baby, don’t
die on me! Please! My little boy!”
Aten reached out and
touched Ryou’s forehead. “Mommy?”
Ryou’s brown eyes
looked at his son’s. “Aten, baby? Are
you okay?”
Aten reached out
with his other hand connected to the IV. “Mommy? Why are you sad?”
Joey looked at
Aten’s eyes, alert and focused. “What the hell happened there?”
Mokuba stepped to
the doctor. “How dare you scare us like that!
We actually thought Aten was dying!”
Hayden clenched his
fists. “That wasn’t funny!”
Seto scowled at the
doctor. “What is your name?”
“Dr. Davis.”
“Well….Dr. Davis, I
can guarantee you that after tomorrow morning, you won’t ever work in this town
again.”
Dr. Davis stepped
back and smirked. “Yeah, right.” Davis left.
Seto growled. “That
bastard crossed the line.”
Ryou caressed Aten’s
cheek. “Sweetheart, what happened? You
were talking about a puppy and that you missed daddy and I.”
Aten looked over and
saw Joey. “Unkie Puppy! You tame to
fisit me!”
Ryou and Seto
exchanged glances. “Aten? Can you say ‘came’?”
Aten shook his head.
“I tant say that. It’s too hard.”
Joey raised an eyebrow.
“But, Aten, you said it a few minutes ago.”
“I did? What did I
say?”
Ryou put his hand on
Aten’s wrist gently, trying to avoid touching the IV. “You were talking about a puppy and how much
you missed your brother.”
“I don’t have a
brother. Aria is my sister.”
Joey sat on the
chair beside the bed. “Do you remember seeing anything, Aten?”
Aten scratched his
hair. “I saw an eppty room. I no hear
anything and I just felt sad. I felt lonely.
I wanted mommy and Daddy Bakura.”
Seto took Ryou’s
elbow and pulled him aside gently. “Ryou, what are you thinking?”
“I don’t understand.
We don’t have a dog.”
“You don’t
think….that he was seeing the world through Aria’s eyes and feeling her
emotions, do you?”
Ryou sighed and
crossed his arms. “I guess it is possible.
Anubis told me when I became pregnant that Cinetti’s soul was divided
into Light and Dark. Aria was the Dark
part of Cinetti while Aten was the weaker Light.”
“Are you suggesting
that Aria and Aten are Yami and Hikari?
Like Bakura and you?”
Ryou shrugged. “I
don’t know. I don’t know what to think.”
“They both come from
yami blood. How can Aten be a hikari?”
“Aten was the weaker
Light of Cinetti’s soul. Hmm. I wonder if Aten can consciously access
Aria’s emotions.”
Ryou stood by
Aten. “Aten, can you tell where your
sister is?”
“Just in a room. I
tant see anything else. I know she is sad and lonely.”
“But, she is alive,
right, Aten?” Seto asked desperately.
“If she wasn’t, I’d
not be able to feel what she is feeling.”
Ryou gripped Seto’s
hand and squeezed. “She’s still
alive. Great gods, where can she be?”
Joey gripped the
sheets of the bed. “Can you tell us anything else about her, Aten?”
Aten sighed.
“No. I don’t know where she is. Why is she upset?”
Ryou looked down at
Aten. “Sweetheart, Aria is missing and we have people out looking for her.”
Aten’s lip trembled
and his eyes watered. “My sister is missing? How? Why?”
“We are looking,
Aten.”
“What if she’s
hurt?”
Ryou pet Aten’s
hair. “Aten, honey, calm down. She’ll be fine.”
Aten tried to sit
up. “But, Aria is my sister! I tant stay here! I have to get out find her!”
Ryou and Joey helped
Aten back in bed. “No, baby.”
“I have my people
looking for her, Aten.”
Aten fell back on
the bed, holding his shoulder. “Ow! My arm hurts!”
“What is it, Aten?”
Ryou asked, his heart jumping into his throat.
“My insishion
hurts.”
Mokuba put his hands
in his pockets. “We want you to get better, Aten. That is what is important.”
“But, Unkie Motuba,
I tant let my sister be missing!”
“We will take care
of finding Aria,” Mokuba said. “You just
relax.”
Aten sniffled and
hung his head. “Otay.”
Hayden pat Aten’s
leg. “Mr. Kaiba’s men will find her and then they will make the bad guys pay!”
Seto and Joey sat on
the other hospital bed in the room.
“They’re keeping you
another night, Aten?”
Aten nodded and he
looked up at Ryou. “Mommy, I want to go home.”
“I know you do,
baby, but they want to make certain that your pacemaker is working the way it
should.”
“I don’t want to be
here anymore! I want to go home!” Aten pouted as he punched the hospital
mattress. “I want to go home and sersh for Aria! I want to go home and play
with Robbie! I don’t want to be here!”
Ryou sat down on the
bed and cradled Aten close to him. “Sweetheart, the doctors at the hospital are
trying to help you feel better.”
Aten sobbed. “But, I
miss my daddy! I don’t want you to leave, mommy! Please stay with me!”
Ryou bit his lip.
Leaving Aten in the hospital was the hardest thing for him to do. Ryou took
Aten’s toy monkey in his hands. “Your toy monkey will keep you safe, Aten. He’s always kept you safe when I can’t be
there for you. When you feel lonely, hug
your little toy monkey and tell him how you are feeling.”
Ryou’s hand went to
Aten’s chest and started rubbing it gently. Aten let out a yawn as his mother
loosened the fluid in his lungs. The boy
rested his head on Ryou’s chest and moaned. He let out a violent cough
afterwards.
When his body
stopped shaking, he looked up at Ryou. “Mommy, tan we go for a walt?”
Mokuba went to get
Aten a wheelchair and the family took Aten around the hospital.
Zira entered the
elevator and gasped. “Mr. Kaiba!”
Seto narrowed his
eyes. “What possessed you to appoint Dr. Davis to substitute for you?”
“I’m sorry, Seto, I
had an emergency at my office. One of my patients needed me immediately.”
“That man will never
work in this town again by the time I’m done.”
Zira looked down at
Aten. “What did he say to you, Aten?”
Ryou sniffled. “He
told me my son was dying! He said that
he was obviously on his last leg!”
“He was cruel, Zira.
I will not have a doctor speak like that to anyone I care about! He’ll learn the hard way not to cross Seto
Kaiba.”
“Oh, Ryou, I am
terribly sorry for Doctor Davis. The hospital chose him as my substitute. It
will never happen again.”
Seto turned to Joey.
“It looks like this hospital is going to have a new management pretty soon,
pup-sicle. What do you think?”
“Why do I have a
feeling that’s not going to be the only thing acquiring new management?”
“His practice is
going to get a little visit from Public Relations. Joey, Hayden, Mokuba, let’s go.”
Aten reached up to
Seto. “But Unkie Seto, you just tame!
Don’t go yet! Please don’t
leave!”
Joey leaned down to
Aten as blind rage made Seto walk away, ignoring the boy. “We have to go, Aten. I’ll tell you what,
kiddo, I’ll come over to see you tomorrow at home. I’ll bring you a present.
Okay?”
Aten rubbed his eye.
“A present? For me?”
Joey nodded and
ruffled the child’s hair. “A present just for you!”
“Promise you’ll tum
and see me?”
“I promise.”
Aten reached out and
hugged Joey. Joey rubbed Aten’s back and was surprised at how cold the child’s
skin was becoming.
“Ryou, maybe you
should get Aten a sweater. He’s feeling a little chilly.”
Zira went and
grabbed Aten a blanket. Zira covered the child in the wheelchair and tucked it
around him. “There we go. Snug as a bug in a rug.”
“Thank you, Dotor
Zira. Bye, Unkie Puppy.”
Mokuba leaned down
and pat Aten on the shoulder. “Get better soon, Aten. When you feel well enough to visit, I want to
show you my new schematics for a computer I’m trying to build.”
“I’d lite that.”
Hayden leaned on the
wheelchair. “Bye, Aten. We’ll see you soon.”
Aten watched as
Mokuba, Hayden, Joey, and Seto walked down the hospital hallway. When they had disappeared around the corner,
Aten lowered his head and sighed.
Ryou put his hand on
Aten’s shoulder. “It will be okay, son. Just one more night.” Ryou kneeled beside the wheelchair and kissed
Aten’s cheek. “I’ll tell you what. After your father gets home from work
tonight, what if he comes and stays with you?”
Aten smiled. “Tan my
daddy tum and stay with me? I don’t want
to be alone tonight.”
Ryou looked into the
brown and purple eyes. “There’s something bothering you, isn’t there? You’re worried about something. What is it, baby?”
Aten reached over
and grabbed Ryou’s hand. “I’m stared to
die.”
If Ryou’s heart
could fall to the ground, it would have done so. “Oh, baby.
It’s okay to be afraid.”
“I don’t want to be
alone. Will you be there?”
“Of course, baby.”
“I want Robbie
there, too.”
Ryou stroked Aten’s
cheek.
Zira kneeled beside
the wheelchair. “Aten, the pacemaker that you have will help your heart. It will keep your heart beating for a long
time.”
“I know you are
scared about dying. Remember what we talked about that night in your room?
There has to be a
life beyond this one, Aten. That life
will be a place where you will be rewarded for being good.”
“But, what if I’ve
been bad?”
Zira shook his head.
“Aten, you have never been bad. I don’t
see you being capable of hurting someone deliberately. You’re not a bad boy, Aten.”
“I want to be good
so I tan see Ra. My daddy said he neffer
met Ra, but I want to.”
Ryou smiled. “And
you will, Aten.”
“Robbie’s not
Egishin. If Robbie is not Egishin, does
that mean he’s not going to see Ra?
Betaws I don’t want to die if I neffer get to see Robbie again.”
Ryou pat Aten’s leg.
“Robbie has his own beliefs. Many people think about death in different ways.
When you get older, Aten, you’ll have your own way of thinking about what
happens after this life is over.”
“Betaws I don’t want
to die without Robbie. That not be
good.”
Ryou leaned over and
kissed Aten’s cheek. “I know it wouldn’t be, Aten. I’m sure Robbie’s going to
be right with you.”
Aten managed a
smile. “Mommy? Tan we go and get some eyes-team?”
“Ice cream? Do you want vanilla frozen yogurt?”
Aten licked his
lips. “Please?” Aten’s large chibi eyes
brightened and Zira stood up.
“He can have frozen
yogurt. That would be better than ice cream.
The cafeteria can get you both some frozen yogurt. I have to go and
clean up the mess Davis must have made.”
“Fanilla! Hurry up, mommy!”
Ryou took Aten to
the cafeteria for a treat.
***********************
Dr. Davis parked his
car in front of the GeneTech headquarters.
He ran into the building, passing Panik.
“I found the
boy! I found her brother!”
Panik stood up from
behind the security guard’s desk. “You found the other child? Where is he?”
“He’s in a bed in
Domino Hospital.”
Panic grinned. “I
can get my hands on him!”
“No, you can’t! That’s the problem!”
Panik laughed.
“Nobody can escape Panik! I can get my
hands on him.”
Davis slammed his
fist on the guard’s desk. “No, you idiot!
The entire staff knows Aten and his family! They will know if someone other than them
tries to take the kid out!”
Panik growled. “We
have to get our hands on the boy! Then our collection will be complete!”
“I must speak to
Diane!”
Davis ran to the
elevator and left at the top floor. He walked to the end of the hall and
knocked on her door.
“Come in!”
Davis entered. “Mrs.
Flemming! I found him! I found the boy!”
“What boy?”
“The girl’s
brother!”
“You found
GT5459-B’s brother? Quick! Tell me!
Where is he?”
Davis took a deep
breath. “In a bed at Domino Hospital. He doesn’t look healthy.”
“What was he doing
there?”
“He received a
pacemaker for his bad heart.”
Diane banged hard on
the desk. “DAMN IT! They’re messing with the test subject! We have to stop them! We have to get Aten Ishtar here before they
do anything else!”
Davis shook his
head. “We can’t. Everyone in that
hospital knows Aten. They will know if
someone tries to take him.”
Diane went to the
window and looked over the waterfront. “What if you go into the hospital and
claim that you are transferring Aten to another hospital.”
“But, Zira is his
patient.”
Diane turned
quickly. “Then CONVINCE Zira that Aten would be better off in another
hospital. You drive the ambulance here,
bring Aten to the operating room and we will do the exploratory surgery
immediately. The child may die, but think
of the benefits to humanity! Disease
will be a passing memory! Millions will
be saved and GeneTech will be the richest corporation in the world! KaibaCorp will crumble beneath my feet! Seto Kaiba will come to ME looking for a
job!”
Davis snickered.
“You wouldn’t offer him a job, would you?”
Diane smiled as she
looked out of the window. Pride
surrounded her as she remembered Seto Kaiba begging for her to stop. She ran her hand down her chest as she
thought of him inside of her. She loved
nothing more than to hear the CEO beg for mercy. He pleaded with her to stop
and she didn’t. She took what she needed
and left, leaving Seto Kaiba crying on his desk.
“Seto Kaiba belongs
underneath me. That is where he enjoyed
himself before. He can do it again.”
The phone rang and
she picked it up. “Diane Flemming.”
[Mommy? Mommy, are
you coming home?]
“Jaimen? Why aren’t you in bed?”
The nine year old
boy sniffled. [I miss you, mommy. I haven’t seen you in days! Can you come
home?]
“I’m working,
Jaimen. Get your ass to bed.”
[Can’t you at least
come and read me a story and then go back to work?]
“Jaimen Kaiba
Flemming, get your ass in bed this instant!”
The child cried.
[O.K. *sniff* Bye, mommy.]
Diane replaced the
phone on the receiver. “Curse of my existence! All I wanted was a piece of
Kaiba and I got more than I bargained for!
Damn him!”
“What are we going
to do with Aten? We have to get our hands on him.”
Diane grinned as she
ran her fingers through her brown hair. “When does he get out of the hospital?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Perfect. When the
hospital discharges the kid, put the child in an ambulance and bring him here.
If you can get your hand on the mother, Ryou Bakura, so much the better. We can always hold him for further
study. I want to know how Ryou Bakura
conceived those children!”
Davis smiled. “I’ll
get my hands on both of them.”
“See that you
do. No screw-ups.”
Davis left and Diane
put her hands in her jacket. She left her office and walked down the hallway to
the little girl’s cell.
She opened the
sliding window in the door and found Aria holding the puppy in her arms,
singing a song* her father had taught her in Arabic. Aria sniffled as she thought of her
brother. Aria sung the song in English,
since her English was better than her Arabic.
Batwanes beek wa
enta m'aya
Batwanes beek wa
bala'i fi 'orbek dunyaya
Lama 'et'arab 'ana
batwanes beek
Wa khayalek bikoun
wayaya wayaya
Wa enga'h soutek,
soutek bewanasni
Wa hawak fil bou'd,
fil bou'd beyahrousni
I cherish your company when you are with me
I cherish your
company and I find my world when you are close to me
When you are far I
feel your presence
And your image is
with me
And the thought of
your voice comforts me
And your love
protects me from far away
Diane closed the
window and left.
Meanwhile in the
hospital, Aten once again felt the rush of emotion coming from his sister and
he heard her sing inside his head. He heard her sing Bakura’s favorite Arabic
song.
He closed his eyes
as a tear dropped from his eyes. He joined his sister’s singing. He quietly
began to sing in Arabic as Marik entered the room without his knowledge.
Lama 'et'arab 'ana
batwanes beek
Wa lama beteb'ad
'ana batwanes beek
Wa khayalek bikoun
wayaya wayaya
Wa enga'h soutek,
soutek bewanasni
Wa hawak fil bou'd,
fil bou'd beyahrousni
Wa shouq 'enadilek
gouwaya
Wana, wana, wana,
wana, wana, wana,
Betwanas beek wa
'enta ma'aya
When you get close I
cherish your company
When you are far I
feel your presence
And your image is
with me
And the thought of
your voice comforts me
And your love
protects me from far away
And love is calling you from deep inside me
And me, and me, and me, and me, and me, and me
I cherish your
company when you are with me
Aria looked around
the empty room. She heard Aten singing in Arabic. She smiled as her brother’s
song filled her mind. He was a beautiful singer. His voice was flawless. She rubbed her eyes as Aten continued to sing.
She continued, joining her brother’s singing.
Aten’s Arabic and Aria’s English resonated through their bond.
Bitmour s'at ba'ad
louana
Wa rouh liwugudek
'atchana
Tewahashni
'ayneek
Wa bal' edounya
ba'it fadya
Ma'a 'eni enaas
rayha wa gaya
Wa ana bahlem
beek
Hours pass after our
rendezvous
And my soul is
thirsty claiming your presence
I miss your eyes so
much
And though the world
seems empty
Even though the
crowds are coming and going
I am dreaming of you
Aria and Aten
covered their faces with their hands and sobbed.
“I miss you, Aten.”
“I miss you, Aria.”
Marik walked to
Aten’s hospital bed. “Mall amr?” (Arabic=”what’s the matter?”)
Aten reached out to
Marik and pulled his father against him. He buried his face in his father’s
stomach, sobbing. “Aria…I heard she is missing.”
Marik stroked his
son’s white and blond hair. “Moneybags
will find her, Aten.”
“But, she’s alone!”
“We’ll find her,”
Marik whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of his child’s head.
Aten wiped his eyes
on Marik’s shirt, wetting the fabric with his tears. “Don’t leave me, daddy! Please!”
Marik sat on the bed
and brought the thin child on his lap.
He cradled Aten against his body and rocked him. “I won’t leave you.”
“Are you going to
stay with me for the night?”
Marik handed Aten
the Millennium Rod. “I’ll stay in the
Millennium Rod tonight while you are sleeping.”
Aten smiled.
“Really? You are going to stay with me?”
Marik nodded. “Mommy
told me you were upset when he left. So,
Malik, Mommy, and Bakura are taking care of the house while I stay with you.”
Aten snuggled into
his father’s chest. “I want to go home tomorrow.”
“You will, son.
Shhh….close your eyes, chibi. Daddy’s
here.”
Aten sighed and
closed his eyes. “Daddy, tan you tell me a story?”
“A story? Okay. I’ll tell you how I met my first wife,
Amunet.”
Aten snuggled into
Marik’s chest. Marik smiled as he held his son, rocking him.
“Amunet…..was a
beautiful girl of fifteen when I met her.
She belonged to a nomadic tribe. Nomads travel around from one place to
another. They wandered onto my family’s land and asked my father for permission
to settle there for a short while. I was
out riding my horse one day when I found a girl taking water from the well. I
saw her and it was if a star had fallen from the sky and hit me.” Marik smiled.
“She was the most beautiful creature, Aten!
Long, black hair that was soft as silk linens….blue eyes that shimmered
like turquoise jewels. Her smile took my
breath away. That’s how love hits you,
Aten. From that moment, nothing else
mattered to me. I forgotten my studies to talk to her by the well. I sneaked out of my house at night to stay
with her in her tent. My father wanted
to know where I was spending my time. When I told him about Amunet, he was not
too happy. I fought with him.”
“Why did you fight?”
“Because my father
didn’t want me to fall in love with a common woman. He wanted me to marry the daughter of a
wealthy landowner so that we may join our territory.”
Aten yawned and
sighed.
“I renounced my
family’s name. Nothing was more
important to me than Amunet. I offered the tribe all of my wealth for Amunet as
a dowry. When they accepted it, we were
married.”
“Did you love her?”
Marik looked down at
the child in his arms. Tears pooled in
his eyes, remembering seeing her alive for the last time, her belly large with
her pregnancy. Marik closed his eyes and
buried his face in Aten’s hair as he recalled the last time he saw her….laying
in the desert sands….her pregnant belly sliced open, the child removed from
her, and disemboweled. Her throat was
sliced from ear to ear.
Marik bit his lip.
“I loved her very much, Aten. I loved
her more than life itself. Her sense of
humor and wit remind me a lot of Miranda.
Maybe that’s why I feel so close to her.”
Marik held the child
until he fell asleep. He tucked Aten underneath the covers. He placed the
Millenium Rod under Aten’s arm.
Aten held the
Millenium Rod close to his chest and smiled. “My daddy….”
Marik smiled and
stretched his arms beside him. “Goodnight, my boy.” Marik disappeared into the
Item.
************************
Davis returned home
to find his apartment locked. He shook
the doorknob as his landlord approached him. “Greg, I had to cancel your lease
on your apartment.”
“Why? I was paid up
to next month! You can’t lock me out of my home when I paid for the right to
live here!”
“I found contraband
in there, Davis! You can either leave or I will be forced to call the cops.
It’s your choice.”
Davis growled. “I
don’t have time for this! You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”
Davis returned to
his car and drove to his practice. He could always sleep there until the next
morning. He found a piece of paper taped
to the door.
Davis pulled the
paper off of the door and read it: ‘This property is now formally property of
KaibaCorp….So get the hell off my property.
Seto Kaiba.’
“WHAT THE HELL IS
GOING ON?”
Across the street,
Seto and Joey watched as Davis stood outside his practice.
“I told him he was
ruined. Now he has no home and no
job. Pity. Let’s go, Jayden. Our work here is done.”
Updates: Wednesday
or Thursday